Multipanel sliding doors of the kind mentioned above generally comprise two or more panels which are supported for travel in substantially parallel planes along runners. In a known arrangement, the door panels are caused to move in a stepwise manner, i.e. the door panels are interconnected to each other in such a way that, in closing the door, a first panel is caused to move in one direction and, once it has covered a certain distance, said first panel engages a second panel and pulls it along in its movement. The second panel, in turn, after having covered a certain distance, engages a third panel, and so on until all the panels of the door are drawn out to the full extension. In opening the door, the panels are moved in the same sequence as described above, but in an opposite direction.
An arrangement of this kind has at least two significant disadvantages in operation. The first is concerned with the noise produced by the knocking of a moving panel against a stationary panel, when the former is moved into engagement with the latter.
A second disadvantage is that opening and closing of the door is achieved through a number of steps each requiring a pulling or pushing effort which increases with the number of panels which are operated.